Means for linking separable fasterners

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a novel means for connecting the ends of sheet material, particularly paper-making felts and fabrics, and includes a slider having means on its body which force one or more cables through throats and into slots formed in a plurality of separable fastener elements on the felt to maintain them in mutually cooperating relationship. The invention also relates to a method of connecting the fasteners when employing the slider as well as to a fastener element per se.

ilted' States atent 1 Haytliointhwaite et al.

[451 Se t. 111, 1973 MEANS FOR LINKING SEPARABLE FASTERNERS [75] Inventors: James Haythornthwaite; Joseph A. Fardeau, both of Joliette, Quebec, Canada [73] Assign ee: Scapa Dryers (Canada) Ltd.,

Joliette, Quebec, Canada July 22, 1971 (Under Rule 47) I21] Appl. No.: 165,145

22 Filed:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 27, 1970 Canada 089214 52 U.S.Cl ..29/23s,29/241,29/243.51, 29/433 51 into! B25b 27/00 [58] Field of Search ..29/235,241,243.51, 29/433,446

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1940 Eichner 29/235 X 12/1970 Sarvay et al. 29/235 -lO/1966 -Nasworthy 29/241 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 428,469 5/1935 Great Britain 29/235 X 658,595 10/1951 Great Britain 29/235 X Primary Examiner1-1arold D. Whitehead Assistant Examiner.loseph T. Zatarga Att0rneySpencer & Kaye [57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a novel means for connecting the ends of sheet material, particularly paper-making felts and fabrics, and includes a slider having means on its body which force one or more cables through throats and into slots formed in a plurality of separable fastener elements on the felt to maintain them in mutually cooperating relationship. The invention also relates to a method of connecting the fasteners when employing the slider as well as to a fastener element per se.

3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED SEP] 1 I975 sum 1 or 2 MEANS FOR LINKING SEPARABLE FASTERNERS stalled in the paper-making machine. Thereafter, it is necessary to locate the loops on one strip (fast on one end of the felt) between the loops on the other strip and to pass one or sometimes more than one wire through the meshed loops so that an endless belt is formed. Heretofore, this has been achieved by making crayon marks on the underside of each strip of webbing and attempting to get each pair of marks into perfect registry with one another before inserting the wire manually. The chief problem with this procedure has been lost time on the paper machine. This varies from machine to machine according to the size of the machine and working conditions. In cases of felts of small widths, it has sometimes taken two men one hour or more to install a felt in this fashion and, in the case of a width of 300 inches, 10 men for the same amount of time. Under todays working consitions, the atmosphere surrounding the machine reaches high temperatures making working conditions almost unbearable. In addition to the unpleasantness of long times spent replacing felts, this loss of time is commercially significant. g

It is one object of the present invention to overcome the above disadvantages by providing a slider which not only aligns a plurality of separable fastener elements but which ensures that means will connect them together. in mutually cooperating relationship with a minimum amount of labour and effort. I

According to one broad aspect, threfore, the present invention relates to a slider fora pair of separable fastener elements, said slider having a leading end capable of insertion into and through slots in the fastener elements, and means on said slider for forcing at least one fastener connecting cable through a throat communicating with each said slot during movement of the slider in one direction to' retain the fasteners inmutually cooperating relationship.

According to a still further broad aspect, the present invention relates, in combination, to a slider and at least a pair of separable fastening elements, said slider having a leading end; means on each element for anchoring it to sheet material; each said element having a throat and a slot in communication therewith; and means on said slider for forcing at least one element connecting cable, during movement of the slider in one direction, through the throats and into the slots to retain the fastening elements in mutually cooperating relationship.

According to yet another board aspect, the present invention relates to a method of connecting a plurality of separable fastening elements each having means anchoring them to sheet material, a throat and a slot in communication therewith, said method comprising the steps of: v

a. inserting the leading end of a slider into the slot of the element nearest to a marginal side edge of said sheet material;

b. moving the slider in a direction normal to said marginal side edge and towards the opposite marginal side edge of said sheet material so that said leading end will enter the slots of the remaining elements sequentially and, in doing so, enable means on the slider to force at least one element connecting cable throughthe throat in said first element and into the slot of the latter, continued movement of said sliderin the same direction forcing the cable into the throats and slots of the remaining elements sequentially so as to retain all the elements in mutually cooperating relationship;

0. removing said slider when all of said fasteners are in said mutually cooperating relationship; and

d. thereafter securing the ends of the cable.

The invention is illustrated. by way of example, in .the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a novel form of slider;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation of the slider;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a novel form of separable fastening element;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic prespective view showing the clipper seam, slider and separable fastening elements in operation;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of the slider showing its relationship to other components'during a linking operation; and

FIG. 7 is a detail view of a part of a fastening element showing its relationship to other components during a linking operation.

Referring to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 3, the means for linking separable fateners includes a slider, indicated generally at 1 having a substantially central web or main body portion-2 and a handgrip portion 3 (see FIG. 5). The forward lower portion of the web 2 is integrally connected to a tapering spade portion or leading end 4, the sides of which are provided with any suitable material 5 having a low coefficient of friction.

The main body portion 2 is also provided with a pair of cutouts indicated generally at 6 and 7. Cut-out 6 is defined by a forward edge 8 extending vertically from spade 4, a horizontal upper edge 9 (normal to edge 8) the rear end of which terminates at its junction with a downwardly and rearwardly extending edge 10 which merges, at curve 11, into a horizontal edge 12 which, in turn, merges with a rear-vertical edge 13.

Cut-out 7 is defined by a vertical forward edge 14, connected to edge 13 by a lower horizontal edge 15, a horizontal upper edge 16 (normal to edge I4) the rear end of which terminates at its junction with a downwardly extending edge 17 which merges into a downwardly and rearwardly curving edge 18 which, in turn, terminates at the bottom of the rear end 19 of main body portion 2.

If desired, a pair of reels 20, 21', capable of containing cables 22, 23 may be mounted on either side of the slider l.

A novel form of a separable fatening elemet, indicated generally at 25, is shown in FIG. 4. As will be seen from FIG. 4, element 25 is provided with an upper rear extension 26 and a lower rear extension 27 each having a tang 28, said upper rear extension 26 also having a secondary tang 28. The forward end of element 25 is provided with a slot 29 having curved forward and rearward edges 30, 31 respectively. Access to the slot 29 is obtained by means of a downwardly and inwardly tapering communicating throat 32. Although the edges 30, 31 of the slot 29 may be equi-distant from the centre-line C, it has been found from practical experience that better results are obtained if the distance A from the centreline C to point D from which the forward curved edge 30 is struck is less than distance B from the said centre-line C to point B from which the rearward curved edge 31 is struck.

In practice, the normal strips of webbing 35 (see FIG. secured to the ends of the paper-making felt 36, are each provided with a pluraity of the above-mentioned fastening elements 25. The webbing 35 is, of course, located between the upper and lower extensions 26, 27 of each element 25 and the tangs 28 and 28' are firmly embedded in the webbing as is shown in FIG. 4.

When it is desired to connect the ends of the felt together, the nose of the leading end 4 of the slider is inserted into the slot 29 of the first element 25 and the slider I is moved manually across the felt in the direction of the arrow (FIG. 5). In the example shown in FIG. 5, the first element would be 25' extending from the right-hand end of the felt, the second element 25" would be the first element extending from the left-hand end of the felt, the third element 25" would be the second element extending from the right-hand end of the felt..... and so on. 1 As the slider 1 moves across the felt and the leading end 4 moves through the slots 29 of the elements 25, cable 22 issuing from reel 20 passes through cut-out 6 of the first element 25' and under its horizontal edge 9 where the edge 10, rouned corner 11 and horizintal edge 12, force said cable 22 into the throat 32 of the first element 25'. Continued movement of the slider 1 enables edges 13 and 15 of the latter to force the cable 22 into the slot 29 of the first element 25'.

During such movement of the slider 1, the cable 23 issuing from reel 21 (which has been omitted from FIG. 5 for clarity), passes through cut-out 7 and below the horizontal edge 16 where edges 17 and 18 force said cable into the throat32 and slot 29 of the first element 25 FIG. 6 shows the superimposed relationship of the cables 22, 23 in relation to the slider 1. FIG. 7 shows the relationship between edges 14 and 15 of cut-out 7 and a fastening element 25 and its slot 29.

In this fashion, the cables will connect the fateners sequentially throughout the width of the felt unti the slider l is slidden free from the felt when the ends of the cables can be secured in any convenient manner. Once the cables are in situ within the slots 29 of the elements 25, they will only be capable of removal if they are pulled lengthwise. Each slot 29 will, of course, contain both cables.

As will be seen from references to FIG. 4, although the width of the upper part of the throat 32 of each element 25 is greater than the width of the lower part, the

' width of said lower part is slightly less than the diameter of the cables 22, 23 whereby the latter, once forced through the throat 32 and into the slot 29 of an .element 25 will remain therein. Furthermore, the chosen radii of the curved ends 30, 31 of each slot 29 is slightly larger than the radius of the associated cable 22, 23.

Moreover, it will also be noted from FIG. 4 that the depth of the lower tang 28 of each element 25 is less than the depth of the upper tang, said lower tang thereby inhibiting transverse movement of the element 25.

If desired, the reels 20, 21 may be omitted entirely from the slider, supplies of looped cables being maintained in any convenient position adjacent the slider.

From the above description. it will be appreciated that the cooperating relationship between the cables and the elements provides an extremely strong connetion between the ends of the felt and which connection can be effected with relative ease.

We claim:

1. A slider for connecting two series of aligned fastener elements, each fastener element having a slot and a throat communicating therewith, said slot extending laterally on both sides of the throat, the slider including a body portion having a leading end part passable through aligned slots, the body portion extending from the leading end part through the throats of the slots, as the leading end part, passes therethrough, to an upper part with a handle, the body portion also having a lower edge with a pair of recesses located one behind the other rearwardly of the leading end part, each recess having a rear surface which, in use, extends through the throat into the slot of a fastener element rearwardly of the leading end part and which forces a cable through the throat of the slot and then laterally in the slot, as the slider is passed through the fastener elements, with one rear surface forcing a first cable in one lateral direction in the slot and the other rear surface forcing a second cable in the opposite lateral direction in the slot to position the two cables side by side in the slot.

2. A slider according to claim 1 wherein the first rear surface nearest the leading end part includes a downwardly and rearwardly inclined edge to force the first cable through the throat of a slot and a downwardly extending edge rearwardly thereof to force the cable laterally in the slot.

3. A method of connecting two series of aligned fastener elements secured to opposed sheet portions, each fastener element having a slot and a throat communieating therewith, said slot extending on both sides of the throat, the method including inserting the leading endof a slider into the slot of a first fastener element at one side edge of the sheet portions, and moving the slider in a direction normal to said side edge towards the opposite side edge of the sheet portions to cause the leading end to pass through the slots of the fastener elements, to cause means on the slider to force a first connecting cable successively through the throats of the fastener elements into the slots thereof and then later ally in the slots away from .the throats, and to cause further means on the slider to force a second connecting cable successively through the throats of the fastener elements into the slots side by side with the first cable on the opposite side of the throats thereof.

t t t i t 

1. A slider for connecting two series of aligned fastener elements, each fastener element having a slot and a thrOat communicating therewith, said slot extending laterally on both sides of the throat, the slider including a body portion having a leading end part passable through aligned slots, the body portion extending from the leading end part through the throats of the slots, as the leading end part passes therethrough, to an upper part with a handle, the body portion also having a lower edge with a pair of recesses located one behind the other rearwardly of the leading end part, each recess having a rear surface which, in use, extends through the throat into the slot of a fastener element rearwardly of the leading end part and which forces a cable through the throat of the slot and then laterally in the slot, as the slider is passed through the fastener elements, with one rear surface forcing a first cable in one lateral direction in the slot and the other rear surface forcing a second cable in the opposite lateral direction in the slot to position the two cables side by side in the slot.
 2. A slider according to claim 1 wherein the first rear surface nearest the leading end part includes a downwardly and rearwardly inclined edge to force the first cable through the throat of a slot and a downwardly extending edge rearwardly thereof to force the cable laterally in the slot.
 3. A method of connecting two series of aligned fastener elements secured to opposed sheet portions, each fastener element having a slot and a throat communicating therewith, said slot extending on both sides of the throat, the method including inserting the leading end of a slider into the slot of a first fastener element at one side edge of the sheet portions, and moving the slider in a direction normal to said side edge towards the opposite side edge of the sheet portions to cause the leading end to pass through the slots of the fastener elements, to cause means on the slider to force a first connecting cable successively through the throats of the fastener elements into the slots thereof and then laterally in the slots away from the throats, and to cause further means on the slider to force a second connecting cable successively through the throats of the fastener elements into the slots side by side with the first cable on the opposite side of the throats thereof. 